Governor wants Olympic torch relay in Fukushima

TOKYO (AP) — The governor of Fukushima wants the Olympic torch to come to the prefecture ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games so the world can see how far the region recovered from the nuclear crisis.

Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato made the proposal Tuesday when he met with Yoshiro Mori, the former prime minister who heads the Tokyo organizing committee. Mori was in Fukushima as part of his tour of northern Japan devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Sato said his idea is to show the status of Fukushima’s reconstruction accurately to the rest of the world. Mori said he will consider the request after reviewing further details.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant suffered multiple meltdowns following the quake and tsunami. Its decades-long decommissioning will continue through the Tokyo Games.